• Include protein and vegetables in every meal. Drink a glass of water before and after each meal.

• Craving carbs? Try replacing your pasta with spaghetti squash.

• Do you have a special event you want to look great for? For four days prior, cut out broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beans, pears and prunes. Though very healthful, they produce gas, and can make you look and feel bloated. (Be sure to keep them in your regular diet.)

• Don’t skimp on protein, and remember that some dairy is necessary. But cut out inflammatory foods like cheese and red meat.

• Be a "teatotaler." Dandelion, peppermint and chamomile teas are great for you and act as a natural diuretic. They are safe and effective drink options to coffee and sodas. Add lemon to lower your glycemic levels.

Ken Hunt is the owner of New York and Miami’s Steel Gym, an AFI-certified trainer and a fitness expert with expert advice featured in The New York Times and other major media. He lectures on physical fitness here and abroad and is finishing a book, The Hunt for Fitness. Steel Gym, at 146 W. 23rd St. in Manhattan, has been named the No. 1 gym in New York by the American Fitness Institute for three straight years; awarded the New York Award for Physical Fitness Facilities for three straight years; named one of the Top 5 gyms in the U.S. by Muscle & Fitness Magazine; and given the Talk of the Town Award for Outstanding Customer Service for four straight years. Call (212) 352-9876. Steel Gym in Miami is at 5556 NE 4th. Call (305) 751-7591. You can email Ken at SteelGymInfo@aol.com; log on to www.SteelGym.com; on Facebook at SteelGymNYC and on Twitter @SteelGym.